Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “shawm” come from?

shawm (English) comes from Middle English shalmuse, from Old French chalemel, from Latin calamellus, from Latin -ellus, from Latin -ulus, from Proto-Italic -olos, from Proto-Italic -elos, from Proto-Indo-European -e-lós — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.

shawm (English): A mediaeval double-reed wind instrument with a...

Definitions

  1. A mediaeval double-reed wind instrument with a...

Ancestry of “shawm”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishshalmuse—
2Old Frenchchalemel—
3LatincalamellusA little reed or pen
4Latin-ellusAlternative form of -ulus; "forming masculine...
5Latin-ulusUsed to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating...
6Proto-Italic-olos—
7Proto-Italic-elos—
8Proto-Indo-European-e-lós—
9Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots

Words derived from “shawm”

  • shawmer
  • shawmist
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lós →